Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Interview with Sandy Kenyon, 'Parade'

Aired May 06, 2002 - 09:21   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The summer blockbuster season opened this weekend a little earlier than usual and "Spider-Man" swung into box office history. The comic book crawler brought in a record- smashing $114 million from its first three days of release, outspending the previous three-day record set by Harry Potter last November. And joining us now to discuss this web of success is Sandy Kenyon of "Parade" magazine. How are you this morning?

SANDY KENYON, "PARADE" MAGAZINE: Well, I'm great. They're running out of superlatives in hype-city Hollywood.

ZAHN: Well check out these numbers. These tell the story. Let's look at the top five films of the weekend.

KENYON: It's amazing. 114 million and Paula, this mark, over 100 million is a lot like breaking the four-minute mile. You knew it was going to happen. You just didn't know when. Many films have tried to make this mark but they haven't. 114 million is 25 percent, one-quarter above the previous high, that would be Harry Potter, and really this is really a film that has become universal. Half the audience were women, half men and here's the interesting thing, half of the people who went were under the age of 25, half were over the age of 25. Almost never happens in Hollywood.

ZAHN: And there's no way to create a formula to do that, is there?

KENYON: No.

ZAHN: But aren't you pretty much guaranteed with sequels of popular movies that you're going to have a better chance of getting the 50/50 arrangement there with gender and age?

KENYON: Usually the under 25 love the sequels. This was a movie that adults 30, 40 have been waiting for years to come. Eighteen years to sort out the tangle of rights to bring this movie to the screen and here it is. It has universal appeal and I think that's because of Tobey Maguire and the decision to cast him.

ZAHN: Well, it was a little bit risky, though, right? In the beginning, they didn't think he has the physicality (ph), perhaps, to pull this off.

KENYON: Absolutely. He had to screen test, which is almost unheard, Paula, for somebody his class of movie star.

ZAHN: So is he the draw or is it the story or just the fact that it's summer, you know, a month or two early?

KENYON: You know it's all of those things. But I agree with my wife who said this isn't just a special effects picture. This is something more. It's got a story and it's got character development. When was the last time you saw character development where we really care about these characters in this kind of movie.

ZAHN: So when's this record going to be broken? When "Star Wars" comes out?

KENYON: "Star Wars" has a big mark to break. My money would be on "Star Wars". Anderson could tell us better. But I think this is phenomenal. This is history making and we say that seemingly, a lot. But this truly is a mark to be beat.

ZAHN: And Anderson joins us from San Francisco right now. I know you've been looking at the force that could throne "Spider-Man" and we know that the movie industry uses all these kind of tracking mechanisms to determine how a film will do. What do they think it's going to make its first weekend out?

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This movie is tracking huge. The buzz on this is really astronomical and for good reason. The movie is by far, in my opinion, one of the best "Star Wars" films yet. You know, the second "Star Wars" film, "Empire Strikes Back" is widely considered to be the best "Star Wars" film. This comes very, very close. It's got action like you would not believe but it's got a real story and a real character development. I saw "Spider-Man" this weekend and I got to tell you, I walked out of it. And "Spider-Man" does not even hold a candle to this film. So "Spider-Man" is flimsy comic book. This is meaty novel. This is a movie that is just going to blow the box office away.

ZAHN: Anderson, you walked out and it and the film made $114 million.

COOPER: I got to ...

ZAHN: I guess the rest of America hung in there.

COOPER: Yeah, you know, I mean it -- it had some fun -- you know, "Spider-Man" was all right. It had some fun action sequences. But you know you realize as you're sitting through it that it's a comic book. The characters are paper-thin. You know what's going to happen. It's pretty predictable. "Star Wars: Episode II is" is not predictable at all. It is -- it is going to be a runaway hit.

ZAHN: It's interesting, Sandy, that the movie companies are moving up these releases, the summer releases seem to open earlier and earlier. What other big box office openers do you expect?

KENYON: "Men in Black II" is the next one after "Star Wars". And when you move it back, it gives some breathing room so the blockbusters aren't going up against blockbusters. Look at the timing; "The Rock" had two weeks. "Spider-Man" has two weeks to himself, then "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones" a couple of more weeks, then "Men in Black II". The releases are spread out. That's the story this summer, which could be record.

ZAHN: And George Luckas (ph) isn't standing still. I understand he's already working on his next one. Right, Anderson?

COOPER: That's right. It will be the last fill in this trilogy. It's going to be about three years from now. But obviously right now he's set to just get the word out about episode II. But then he will begin work on episode III, the last film in this six part series.

ZAHN: You guys got me. I've got to find like five-and-a-half hours so I can go see both of these films. Well I got a couple weeks to go see "Star Wars" but "Spider-Man's" out. Time to fight the crowds.

COOPER: Yeah. "Spider-Man" has got a great kiss in it, I'll give it that but that's about all I can say for it.

KENYON: And there's a great tip for seeing these blockbusters.

ZAHN: And that is?

KENYON: Sunday first showing. It's almost deserted.

ZAHN: But even in New York sometimes those theaters are crowded on a rainy day.

KENYON: I'd like to see -- yes. I like to see the movies with an audience, with real people, as I like to say. And I saw it Sunday morning. It's the perfect time.

ZAHN: And he wasn't all alone but more spacious than usual.

KENYON: Definitely and no lines.

ZAHN: Thanks, Anderson. Hey, Anderson, I don't know when you're going to get back on normal sleep segment. But thanks for letting us drag you out of bed at about 2:00 this morning to come the air.

COOPER: My pleasure.

ZAHN: Sandy, you have a good day too.

KENYON: Thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com